I sprayed with neem, but I read some posts saying neem isn't all that effective in the later stages of blight. It's not. Neem really isn't a fungicide. It's use as a fungicide is primarily due to it's being an oil. Horticultural oils can 'seal up' attachment sites making it more difficult for fungal spores to attach and infect and they can also smother existing spores so they can't develop. As such neem and all oil products are best used as a preventative rather than a cure. Now, is it that milk encourages fungus that curtails blight, or is it that it encourages bacteria, specifically lacto bacteria, which does the same? Some of the questions you are asking go beyond my knowledge so I won't comment/speculate and risk leading you astray on those, but will speak more generally. There are competing theories as to why milk seems effective against some fungal diseases on some plants. To the best of my knowledge it was first found effective against powdery mildew on grapes, but was subsequently tested against powdery mildew on some other plants and found ineffective or inconsistently effective. It has also had some testing for other fungal pathogens with mixed results. Corn meal is another means of controlling fungal pathogens. In this case it is suspected that corn meal, for whatever reason, attracts/feeds trichoderma fungi which are mycoparasitic and kill *some* other fungi. There are even commercial strains of lab bred trichoderma (T22 aka root shield is one). However, results are inconsistent. That's the primary problem when biological controls or substances meant to attract biological controls are employed. The biologicals require fairly narrow environmental parameters to work effectively and there is no way to guarantee nature provides them when/where needed.

Thanks Grainlady! Everything you mentioned is true. I really appreciate your explanation. I too use kefir grains to make milk kefir. Little man and I love kefir but my husband won't touch it. That's why I still make the regular yogurt. I do pay a lot of attention to temperatures when making yogurt at home. Use a thermometer in the milk while heating and cooling. I always let it cool to 118F, remove from heat before getting the yogurt cultures ready. I usually use 2 - 4 tablespoons of room temperature yogurt from the last batch. You're right, as time goes on the cultures tend to become weaker so I do use fresh cultures (judged by the flavor of the last batch) from time to time. By the time I add a couple of ladles of warm milk into the cultures, the temperature will be between 110 and 115F. I always clean and warm the jars and keep them warm in the incubator that I built until the milk is ready. Once the jars are filled, they go into the incubator immediately. Once again, I keep another thermometer in the incubator to ensure proper temperatures. If the temperature seems not high enough, I throw a large towel over the box. When the thermometer indicates too warm I take off the towel. If everything goes well, the yogurt will set in a bit over 4 hours. If not, I let it sit up to 8 hours before calling it quit. Since the jars are in an incubator that locates in the corner of the kitchen, nobody ever bumped into it. No animals at home so it's a very safe place for making yogurt. I use only milk (sometimes add 1/4 C of powdered milk if 2% or less fat milk is used) and cultures in my yogurt. A year ago when I was the yogurt diva with yogurt turned out like the Old Faithful, I used a can of coconut milk in with 5 cups of cows milk. These days, I am happy as long as I get yogurt instead of milk. I will play with flavors again once I get the consistency back under control. I have a feeling that it's the heating pad that I use in the incubator. It's pretty old. Only the low heat setting works; both med and high are toasted. I have been using the low setting for a couple of years and didn't have problems until last year. I guess I need a new heating pad! LOL Once again, thank you for your advice. Your expertise is definitely a gem to the forum. Al

islay, I also never met a potato I didn't like, so I'd probably like these too, although they would beg to be dipped into something, I think. I'd go ahead and add cream cheese or yogurt, whatever you have on hand, not because I think it's going to change the taste, but because I think it could add a little more flavor. Non-fat dry milk doesn't add discernible taste, IMO, and you may have to add a bit more "dry" ingredients to keep the balls from falling apart. Annie

Yogurt sieves? I'll have to look about. I'm intrigued by the yogurt cheese cheesecake. A bit off topic, but since yogurt cheese has been mentioned, I'm posting the recipe for one of my favorite party nibbles. You gotta love hors d'oeuvres that you can make days or weeks ahead of time and just whip out on 5 minutes notice and still impress people. I'm including my yogurt recipe 'cause it was attached for the sake of anyone who hasn't made it yet: Yogurt Heat 1 quart of milk to the boiling point for just 1 minute. Cool to 115 degrees (lukewarm to the touch). Pour into a heavy ceramic bowl. Mix in 2 T of fresh, plain yogurt (must have active cultures). Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set in a warm place. An oven with a pilot light is good, I use a goose-neck desk lamp bent low over the bowl. I know some people who use a heating pad set on low under the bowl. According to the recipe, 110 is the ideal temperature, but remember that people have been making yogurt for thousands of years without benefit of thermometers. Essentially, it should be warmer than youd like a bath to be if you were going to spend a half an hour in it, but as warm as youd like a bath to be if you came home on a cold winter night and wanted to warm up. The yogurt should be ready in about 5 to 8 hours. Tilt the bowl to see if it holds together. The longer you allow the yogurt to sit, the more sour it will be. Line a colander with a thin cloth, such as a dish towel or muslin. Pour the yogurt into the colander and allow it to drain for at least an hour. Refrigerate. Note: It does not help speed or improve the process to add extra yogurt starterin fact, it can make for a lower quality product. The cultures have to have enough food to poop enough yogurtsorry, I couldnt help myself. You can make yogurt with 2 % milk if you like, but it takes longer and you need to strain it more. Yogurt Cheese in Olive Oil Pour home made yogurt into a sieve lined with a thin cloth, such as a dish towel or muslin. Fold the ends of the cloth over the top of the yogurt, top with a plate big enough to mostly cover the yogurt but small enough that it wont get hung up on the sides of the strainer as the yogurt gets pressed down. Weigh the plate down with a large jar or lidded tupperware bowl full of water and set the sieve over a bowl to drain. Be sure and empty the bowl from time to time so that the yogurt isnt sitting in its own whey. I generally do this overnight, but times can vary depending on the weight etc. You want a product about the texture of cream cheese. Form the yogurt cheese into balls about 1 " in size, rolling them in your hands. Pack the balls into sterilized jars with an herb mix sprinkled over each layer. Fill the jar with extra virgin olive oil. Store for at least 2 days to moogle the flavors, and up to about 3 weeks in the fridge. For the herb mix, I usually use dried red chilli pepper flakes, fresh rosemary & oregano (minced), fresh garlic sliced paper thin and salt. Then I add other things to suit my fancy. Herbs, minced onions, spices etc. Get playful. I dont know how to measure amounts, but remember that only a bit of the flavored oil will make it onto the cracker or bread with the cheese, so you almost cant put too much "stuff" in the oil. The "cheese" balls should be served with their spiced oil.